Interesting looking thing, that. The way they've been talking about it, it is going to be a weapon like the Bushmaster ACR, except with a barrel that supports multiple munitions without having to be switched out with another.

Type 1 - They're just like any other firearm but they're internal mechanism is
capable of being chambered with different calibers of ammo.

Type 2 - These MCWs always have 2 barrells, 2 magazines, and 2 different
chambering mechanisms,,,for firing 2 different types of ammo at the same time.

The DRDO MCW is a Type-1 gun, so thats why its not as bulky as the Korean Daewoo K-11 MCW, which happens to be a Type 2 MCW.

The DRDO gun would only be marginally bigger and heavier than Tavor TAR-21 and look similar to Fabrique Nationale FN2000 assault rifle in appearence. The only sluggish thing I noticed is the magazine's breech block, it looks ugly and protruding, hope it'll be re-designed.

Replacing INSAS with a foreign gun for the whole infantry would not only be totally demoralising but also very
cost-prohibitive. The DRDO MCW will replace INSAS sooner or later. Foreign guns can only be acquired in limited numbers,
below 70k and the like, and they can never be the standard-issue weapon for all infantry units. Never.

yes, u r right but selection process between above contenders is on,
i don't remember the no. exactly but it is close to what u hav posted,
considering our large armed forces these won't b standard issue but the procurement is also not meant for SFs, so these r for IA's infantry units.
if i remember correctly the tender is not only for ARs but also includes carbines, LMGs and sniper rifles.
its just a matter of time before INSAS ARs get replaced as our standard issue ARs, the DRDO multi-calliber rifle might play a role in it.
anyway, F-INSAS will see a diff. AR than our current INSAS ones, that's the point i'm trying to make.

Click to expand...

[MENTION=8572]Gessler[/MENTION]
found an interesting article, will post it completely in a new thread,
the ARs r the ones i posted in this thread.

The Indian Army is in the final stages of choosing a 5.56mm/7.62mm rifle to replace the standard INSAS 5.56mm rifle, the basic infantry weapon. â€œWe want a rifle with new, modern features,â€ an infantry officer told The Sunday Standard.

The new rifle will be chosen from six offered by five foreign manufacturersâ€” American Colt, Italian Beretta, Swiss Sig Sauer, Czech Ceska, and Israeli Weapons Industry (IWI). The rifle will have two inter-changeable barrels for 5.56 mm and 7.62mm calibres. While 5.56mm will be the primary barrel, the 7.62mm, the same as Kalashnikov calibre, will be used only in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operation sectors of Jammu and Kashmir and the North-east. The two barrels will be issued to the soldier, who would change them in the field according to his peace or operations posting. Otherwise, one of the two barrels will be mothballed and kept in the sector stores for use in times of need. The Indian Army is looking at initially buying 65,000 of these rifles at a cost of Rs 4,850 crore and plans its first induction by the middle of 2014. Through a transfer of technology, the Indian ordnance factories will manufacture another 1,40,000 rifles.

The second weapon for which tenders have been issued is the close quarter battle carbines. Initially, the Indian Army will be buying 43,000 of one of the carbines offered by Beretta, Colt, Sig Sauer and IWI at a proposed cost of Rs 3,200 crore. These will be inducted in early 2014. Another, 1,20,000 carbines of the chosen company will be licence-manufactured by the OFB.

The Indian Army is formulating qualitative requirements for two other weaponsâ€”a 5.56mm Light Machine Gun, and sniper riflesâ€”now, and the tender will be issued shortly. The INSAS LMG in use now has a range of 700 metres and weighs 6.23 kg. The requirement for the new LMG is a range up to 1,000 metres. The weapon will be lightweight and be more lethal, officers said. This weapon too will be imported initially and later manufactured in India through technology transfer.

The sniper rifle in use with the Indian Army at present is the 1963-vintage Dragunov. But its ammunition is not manufactured by the OFB in India and needs to be bought from abroad frequently. It has a 800-metre range without a tripod and a fixed sighting system without magnification. The new sniper weapon would have a tripod to provide it stability, have a range of 1,000 metres with a sight variable magnification fitted to provide the sniper better accuracy.